Many rowboats are designed to be rearward facing. In rearward facing rowboats, the rower faces rearwardly while rowing through the water. The rower guides the end of the oar in the water from the front of the boat, which is behind the rower, to the back of the boat, which is in front of him. Due to the nature of the oarlock system, the rower is essentially pulling his end of the oars toward his chest. A rower must expend considerable energy in maintaining an upright position to avoid straining back muscles.
In such a pulling motion, a rower does not necessarily need support to the back to provide leverage as the rows. The nature of rowing is that a standard seat with a back support impedes the rower's range of motion and does not provide the desirable leverage. Rather, the rower needs support in the chest and abdominal area to provide the necessary leverage as he pulls the oars towards him.
Stationary rowing machines, commonly found in exercise facilities, mimic the conditions and movements associated with rowing a rowboat. A number of such exercise machines are fitted with structures which support the user's chest as the user goes through the rowing movements, for the reasons outline above. U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,817 to Koenig et al. discloses an exercise machine wherein the user stands on a base 16 and pulls a weighted bar 50 towards his chest. A cushioned pad 24 is provided which restrains forward movement. U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,585 to Beauchamp discloses an exercise machine wherein the user sits on a support 105 and pulls a weighted bar 97 towards his chest. A chest pad 106 is provided to restrain forward movement. Nonetheless, there exists a need for an improved seat for rowboats which would provide support for the rower's chest and abdomen while rowing.